Part One Hundred And Fifty Three
A few weeks later, on the fourth of July to be precise, George drove into the car park of her GP's surgery, wondering just why she was here. After having a routine smear test a couple of weeks before, she had been asked to return to discuss its results. She felt fine, she reasoned to herself. But she wasn't so naive to think that this didn't mean something wasn't wrong with her. They hadn't asked her back here for nothing, after all. The last few months had been wonderful, gradually getting closer to Jo, still enjoying what she had with Karen, and the run up to the performance of 'The Creation'. She knew that she was approaching the point of no return with Jo, that time when a decision, one way or the other, had to be made, to minimise Karen's hurt if nothing else. She'd almost told John about Jo, on the day of the performance. God, it still aroused her to remember how he'd made her feel, and in that moment of pure clarification of her feelings, she had almost told him of Jo's reciprocation of her attraction. Telling him that she fancied Jo, and wouldn't mind being with John and Jo together had been quite bad enough though, making her blush every time she thought of it. This wouldn't solve anything, she thought to herself, getting out of the car and locking the door with resigned determination. Whatever it was, she would deal with it.
George just couldn't believe it. As she stared at the doctor, a blush of combined fury and humiliation covered her face. Chlamydia! The legal profession's answer to Professor Higgins, both in and out of bed, had given her Chlamydia! "It happens," The doctor simply said to her. "Well," Said George decisively, "The man who gave this to me is going to wish it hadn't." After handing her a prescription for a course of antibiotics, and telling her that she would need to return in a fortnight's time to make sure the infection had gone, the doctor watched as she walked out of his office, feeling a certain amount of sympathy for the poor blighter who was about to feel the wrath of this woman's anger.
As George waited in the chemist for her prescription to be made up, the caldron of her anger began to simmer, to gradually obtain momentum. But before she allowed it to boil over, there was someone else who needed to know about this. She blushed all the way to Jo's office, wondering just how she would go about telling her that John had not only gone back on his promise to stick with just the two of them, but that he'd given certainly her and probably Jo as well, a sexually transmitted disease. Things like this just didn't happen to people like her. It was unthinkable! After all, that was the only conceivable explanation for this, wasn't it, that John had picked this up from one of his innumerable conquests.
When she drew up in the car park in front of Jo's office, George just sat there for a moment, trying to marshal her thoughts, to put them in to some sort of order. As she walked through reception, she wondered fleetingly if you could tell just by looking at a person, that they had such an utterly unmentionable infection germinating inside them. Shuddering slightly at this thought, she climbed the stairs and walked along the corridor to Jo's office, all the time praying that she didn't have company. When Jo heard the firm tap on the door, she called, "Come in." She was surprised to see George at this time of the day. It was early afternoon and they should both be busy. But as George came in and closed the door very carefully behind her, Jo could see that something was different. "What's happened?" She said as a form of greeting. George stood for a moment, her hand on the handle of the closed door, just staring at Jo, trying to find the right words to tell her. "Sit down," Said Jo, trying to put George at her ease. George moved to sit in one of the low armchairs in front of the window. "I think we've got a problem," She finally said. Jo had swivelled her desk chair to face George, and she simply waited. "This is quite awkward," Went on George, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "I need to ask you something that may seem unduly offensive." "This must be bad, if you're giving me prior warning that I'm not going to like it," Said Jo with a shrug, but George didn't smile at her attempt at humour. "Since we made the deal with John that he would stop sleeping with every random woman who caught his eye, and that he would stick to us and only us, have you slept with anyone else?" Jo simply raised an eyebrow. "No," She said. "Why do you ask?" "I thought not," Said George. "But I had to check. I think it's fair to say that John's gone back on his promise." "Explain," Jo said, remaining outwardly calm, but inwardly feeling an ice-cold fear touch her heart. At this prompting, George began to look even more uncomfortable. Her eyes wouldn't keep still. They constantly flitted between the door, Jo, the computer on Jo's desk and back to the door again. "George, what's happened?" Jo cajoled, dreading what was coming. Taking a deep breath, George brought out the words. "John, with his usual level of thoughtlessness, has given me, and probably you too, Chlamydia." Jo found herself blushing in sympathy with George. "How do you know?" She asked, and then could have kicked herself. "Sorry," She said, clapping a hand to her mouth, "Stupid question." "I had a routine smear test a couple of weeks ago," Enlightened George. "I was asked to return to discuss its results. I was worrying about all sorts of things, and it turns out to be some dodgy disease picked up from his latest conquest." "I'll kill him," Said Jo, in that low, menacing tone that George was relieved not to have aimed at herself. "No," She replied decisively. "Go and get yourself sorted out, and then we'll both kill him." Jo looked absolutely thunderous. "Why," She said furiously though still relatively quietly, "Will he never ever learn. I'd have thought that what happened with me all those years ago would have perhaps made him think that safe sex was at the very least, possibly a good idea." George just rolled her eyes. "He's always gone with the heat of the moment," She said derisively. "I know it sounds ridiculous," She continued, "But I've always had the attitude that people like us, barristers, high court judges, you name it, weren't stupid enough to get things like this. I even thought that applied to complete and total reprobates like him." "Oh, grow up, George," Said Jo scornfully. "Anyone who sleeps around as indiscriminately as John used to, or clearly still does, is always at risk of something like this. I take it you haven't slept with anyone who could be responsible for this?" "No, of course not," Said George indignantly. "The only other person I've slept with since this three way thing began is Karen, and I'm almost sure she hasn't slept with anyone else during the time I've been seeing her. Besides, I'd have been pretty bloody unlucky to have picked anything up from her." "Anything's possible, George. But yes, it's far more likely to be from John." "How could he do it, Jo?" George asked in total despair. "How could he go back on his promise?" "I don't know," Jo replied miserably. "But he'd better have a bloody good reason for it." "I've never been so humiliated in my life," Said George furiously. "I wanted to sink through the floor." "You'd better tell Karen about this," Said Jo. "Oh, absolutely bloody marvellous," Said George. "Karen has always been okay with the arrangement I have with John, and because she didn't want anything particularly heavy or committed from me, it didn't bother her. She might change her mind now. I'm just amazed, that with his record, something like this hasn't happened before." "If it has," Said Jo, "I've never been aware of it. The only time I've ever known him to be forced to acknowledge the consequences of his actions, was when I found out I was pregnant." "He owes you better than this," Said George vehemently. "George," Said Jo gently but firmly, "He owes both of us better than this." "It's not the same and you know it," Replied George. "Once upon a time, I might have agreed with you. But you're as much a part of his supposed level of commitment as I am." "I wonder who he caught this from?" Said George, trying to change the subject. "As long as it's no one I know, I couldn't care less," Replied Jo.
As George drove back to her office, she dialled Karen's mobile number. "Darling, it's George," She said, and Karen could hear the anger and tension resonating in her tone. "Hello," She said, "Talking to you definitely beats wrestling with budgets." "I'm not sure you'll still think so when I tell you why I phoned," Replied George, feeling the blush suffuse her features even though Karen wasn't actually there. "Should we be having this conversation if you're driving?" Asked Karen, realising that this was something serious. "No, probably not," Said George, "But I need to be back in the office for an appointment. Sweetheart, I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but there's the slightest possibility that you might have Chlamydia." "What?" Came the sharp response. "I know, I know," Said George, "Please don't say it. I can't prove it yet, but I'm pretty sure I've picked it up from John." "But I thought he was only sleeping with you and Jo, and Jo doesn't strike me as the straying kind." "Quite. Jo's getting herself tested and I think you should do the same. Before I accuse John without the slightest possibility of being wrong, there isn't anyone else I should know about, is there." "No, of course not," Karen said, though not sounding in the least defensive. Hers and George's relationship had always been pretty carefree, mainly because George wasn't prepared to go back on her arrangement with Jo and John, and because Karen didn't want anything remotely heavy. "The last bloke I slept with was John, and that was over eighteen months ago. Since then, there's been only you." George felt a brief fluttering of pleasure when Karen said this. Whilst she'd never give up what she had with John for anyone, what she had with Karen was still incredibly special to her. "I'm sorry about this," Said George, hating the fact that John was putting her through this. "It's not your fault," Said Karen practically. "What was Jo's response?" "I think her words were, I'll kill him." "Yeah, well, if I have got it, he'll get a roasting from me too." George laughed. "Usually, three strong minded women all in one go would be his idea of heaven. But three very angry women might just be too much, even for John." "I'd have been pretty unlucky to pick it up from you," Said Karen thoughtfully. "I know," Said George, turning in to the car park in front of her office. "But go and get tested anyway." As she walked up the stairs to her office, she wondered if John had any idea of what he was probably carrying around inside him. Did he even know what Chlamydia was, and that if left untreated, it could make a woman infertile? Sure, neither she nor Jo had any plans to have any more children, in fact George would rather cut out her own eyes than do that again. But that didn't mean that John could play fast and loose with anyone's sexual health, especially not with the two women he so often said he loved.